Seymour Community Schools plan to return to school full-time beginning Monday, February 22. Schools with grades 6-12 have been on the hybrid schedule since the start of the second quarter. Mr. Harpe, the superintendent, sent out a letter last week regarding the change. The letter stated, “Last week, the Indiana State Department of Health released new guidance for Indiana schools. Based on the new guidance, latest data, and approval of local health professionals, we can safely make this change.” Although students are returning to school, guidelines will be in place similar to those of the first quarter of the school year. Students will have to wear masks at all times, and social distance at at least three feet. This time, however, in some cases asymptomatic students and staff will have reduced times of quarantine and in some cases not quarantine at all.

About 40 different school corporations in Indiana have been on the hybrid schedule, whether that be for a short time or for the entire duration of the school year so far. Jackson County’s new seven-day all test positivity rate is now 7.46%, one of the lowest it has been and the advisory level is orange.

I interviewed one student about her thoughts on the return to school. She said she is ready to return to a normal schedule at school, but will miss the luxury of staying at home. She said that she thinks going back to school is for the best because her grades will improve because there are not as many distractions in school as there are at home. She also states that the school will try to give us as much normalcy as possible, but there may be a few curveballs thrown as there could be a possibility of returning back to the hybrid schedule, depending on the number of cases in the county.

Who knows what may happen, but all students must do their part in following the rules of wearing masks and social distancing in order for us to stay in school as long as possible.